This year, for the first time, two thirds of first-year students intend to find part-time jobs to augment maintenance loans that barely cover rent, let alone food or travel to campus, says Ucas. Some universities, including Anglia Ruskin’s London campuses, are moving to three-day weeks to facilitate part-time work.
A National Union of Students survey last year found that more than one in 10 students are using food banks, one in five are unable to afford toiletries and a third are living on less than £50 a month, after paying rent and bills.
